Book Review – Beastly by Alex Flinn

This week is another book by Alex Flinn – Beastly.  After reading Bewitching, I was intrigued enough to try one more of Flinn’s books.  Once again, she takes a fairy tale and retells it in modern terms.  This one was turned into a film in 2011.

I have to say that I found the same issues in this book as I did Bewitching.  Beauty and the Beast themes were there.  Kendra was absent for most of the book, which I found to be okay for the most part.  The characters were good, nothing special, but not completely flat either.  I think that most of the problem I had was that the book was predictable in more than just the Beauty and the Beast theme.

I would say that this is one to add to a guilty pleasures list for a quick, fun read.  But, don’t have high expectations for it.  Maybe it’s better from the eyes of a teenager, but I gave it 3 of 5 stars.

Book Review: Bewitching by Alex Flinn

Bewitching by Alex Flinn is an interesting combination of Hansel and Gretel and Cinderella.  The story is told from Kendra’s point of view.  Kendra is a witch.  The first half is her life prior to discovering she’s a witch.  The basic plot there is Hansel and Gretel but with a few twists and new bits thrown in.  Then, the second half is modern day.  She meets a girl who needs some help. In comes a loose interpretation of the Cinderella plot where the stepsister gets everything.

From an adult perspective, this book wasn't anything overly special.  Flinn did a nice job of spicing up the fairy tales she used for inspiration in this book.  You can recognize them but there are enough little things different to make it fun still.  But, from a young adult perspective, the intended audience for this book, it opens up interesting possibilities.  The simple ideas of going to school with a witch and not knowing it or that magic exists in modern day can get the imagination going.

I did feel somewhat connected to the characters.  Kendra bugged me a little to be honest.  She seemed at times too much the victim to me.  Then again, maybe that’s just me as that kind of role in any degree really bothers me.

In the end, I would say it’s a fun, quick read but nothing to go out of your way for.  The younger the audience (keeping it somewhat age appropriate), the better the book will be.